Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-07-01

WASHINGTON, June ~.
The best meals Of the capital axe served
private houses, and a number Of the
millionaire Senators keep French cooks,
who are a much skilled in their art as are
the professors Of the Smithsonian inStltu-
ton in scientific matters. Some of the big
houses OF these public men have kitchens
us large AS those OF u summer hotel, and
Secretary Whitney owns 4 range which
would cook the meals tor an army. | nave
have told YOU Of Senator Palmer kitchen
IN the attic OF his 81. OGO palace, but dbl
not say that his cook stove IL set Iuto the
wall, and that It's oven is big enough L"
roast a good sized sheep without GoubiIng
ND IT, legs To make o Tor the rest ot the
body. Ih9 White House kitchen isl part
of the Executive Mansion that the Press
dent does not rare 10 exhibit to strangers,
hut il has t%U hig stoves, and the
Swiss cook who presidcs over 1t does
all of his cooking i'll copper uten-
sis. The chef has a number
of assistants under him. and rs he works
he is dressed in white, wearing a snowy
apron, u white cap, which bulges out at
the TOD, and a white jacket. He is king
of the basement OF the White House, aud
his realm, with its rooms divided by mas
sive walls, looks like o prison. These
walls are several feet thick, and the whole
nj the basement of the White House is as
clean As a new pin. Whitewash is liber-
ally distributed on every side, and you
will not mud a swseter smell anywhere
than here, There is never any odor of the
cooking perceptible outside OF this base,
ment, and the nOStrils OF President and
Mrs. Clevplsnd are not tickled with ham
or terrapin until they appear on the table
of the private dining room OF the White
House.
President Arthur paid his cook 81, 500 a
wear. and the present chef probably gets
an equally high salary. Arthur was an
enicurp, and he pleased his stomach with
dinners that cost him on the average, 1t Is
said, at least S. a plate. He did agreat
deal more of private entertaining than does
President Cleveland, and he never sat down
10 dinner without wine. His wine bills
must have been very heavy, and some OF
his state dinners cost from 5000 TO SI,Upp
zach This seems to be a good deal 20 pay
for a dinner for thirty or fifty persons, but
dinners at the better class Of Washington
with wines will cost from - a
Mate upward, and u very fair dinner for a
rlub will cost $6 a plate. There Is a club
of about thirty young men here who pay
this price for Is monthly dinner, and Tor
the sum OF SlsO Welcker, Chamberlain or
Wormley will give them a fair feast with
several kinds OF excellent wine, embracing
champagne, Sauterre, a good claret, ana
ending with a first-class punch.
Each of the three places above spoken of
are restaurants OF national note. Charles
Dickens complimented Welcker's cooking
"a being the best he had ever tasted, and
the restaurant has a copy Of his letter to
this effect. This, however, was when
Dickens visited Washington years ago, anu
the cook referred to is probably now under
the sod. Welcker's, however, still holds
its own, and it has many public men
among its guests. John Welcker was a
Belgian. and he used to give dinners which
cost $40 a plate. He had rooms connected
with his restaurant which rented at - a
day. and during u congressional session
he gave W dinners a day each which
averaged SlO6 and the guests OF which
numbered about twelve persons.
Wormley began his career here far hack
in the SOS and was a noted cook when
Buchanan WAS President. A poor negro
how. he made a fortune OF more b
500. 600 by ministering to other mems
stomachs. and when he died a year or so
sgo he lett his sons well fitted to take hls
place and manage the business which he
had built up. He taught n of his sons
cooking As other men fit their boys for the
law He made him Study the intricaeles
oftbe art, and after he had shown him al
that he himself knew he sent him to Pan
and put him in charge of a leading che
there.
sWormley hsd many noted men among
his friends. Charles Sumner thought
grpat deal of him, and he took care Of sum,
9er during his last illness. He supplied
much of the food for Garfield when he was
lingering out his life after the shot of Gui'
team. and his beef tea made at this tim
has an international reputation. Worm
lev made this by broiling the finest o.